Less than 24 hours before U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Highland Park, and three of his Congressional colleagues were scheduled to leave on a trip to the Middle East, Israel launched a military attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Though Schneider said the itinerary — Bahrain, Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) — “is in flux,” the attack may present an opportunity not present when the journey was initially planned to further the goals of the Abraham Accords signed in 2020.
Schneider and three other members of the U.S. Congress’ Abraham Accords Caucus were scheduled to leave Friday from Washington for a 10-day trip to the four Middle East countries to meet with leaders of those nations.
Initially, Schneider said the goal of the trip was to talk to Arab and Israeli leaders about ways to further progress which has already been made. With the Israeli air force now bombing Iran it gives them something else to discuss.
“Iran has long been a nemesis to its neighbors in the region,” Schneider said. “It attacked an oil refinery in Saudi Arabia. This could be a propitious time to talk to the (Arab) leaders and hear what they have to say.”
Joining Schneider are U.S. Reps. Jimmy Panetta, D-Calif., Zach Nunn, R-Iowa, and Don Bacon R-Neb. The trip is sponsored by the N7 Initiative, which is a partnership between the Atlantic Council and the Jeffrey M. Talpins Foundation.
Believing the Abraham Accords, if adapted and strengthened, provide the “most viable platform for regional stability and cooperation in the Middle East,” representatives of the N7 Initiative, according to the Atlantic Council website, arranged the trip to the Middle East to help further the goal.
A co-chair of the Abraham Accords Caucus in Congress, consisting of both members of the Senate and House of Representatives, Schneider said the goal of the trip remains furthering the progress. Along with Israel, the UAE and Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan are member countries.
“These nations believe the Jews and Arabs belong in the same land and need to find a way to live there together,” Schneider said. “The Abraham Accords are the first formal recognition of Israel in the region since Egypt and Jordan. Saudi Arabia has talked about normalizing relations with Israel.”
At approximately 3 a.m. local time Friday, Israel launched air attacks on nuclear and military sites in Iran. Its main nuclear reactor in Natanz and a smaller enrichment facility were damaged. Israel used approximately 200 planes to hit around 100 targets. Iranian military officials were reported killed. Missile launchers and radar facilities were destroyed. Iran responded with drone attacks on Israel.
Schneider said in a statement Friday that there is a lot of uncertainty about the impact of the attack. It could signal the start of a wider war with implications for the United States, its partners, and the global economy.
“One thing must be clear,” Schneider said in the statement. “America stands with Israel. Iran’s long record of malign behavior — its threats to wipe Israel off the map, its support for Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis — makes clear why Israel assessed that it could not wait. A nuclear-armed Iran would pose an unacceptable threat not only to Israel but to the entire world.”
Friday’s attack was not the first time Israel destroyed nuclear facilities in the Middle East. In 1981, the Israeli Air Force bombed a nuclear reactor in Iraq, and did the same thing to Syria in 2007.
“Later events proved the wisdom of Israel’s actions and benefited the region and the world,” Schneider said in the statement. “I am confident, with Iran on the brink of weaponization, the world will again be grateful that Israel acted to prevent catastrophe.”
The Associated Press contributed to this story.